


The Dragon Within

by Khateeah



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Fluff, M/M, Medical Trauma
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-22
Updated: 2016-06-22
Packaged: 2018-07-16 13:28:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7270138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Khateeah/pseuds/Khateeah
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Reinhardt pays Genji a visit at the infirmary after the cyborg is seriously injured by Talon agents on a mission gone wrong.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Dragon Within

“Is he… alright?” Holding his helm beneath his armored arm, Reinhardt strode cautiously into the lounge outside the infirmary, carefully ducking his head and turning his hulking form sideways as he passed through the doorway. He’d only gathered bits and pieces of the story surrounding Genji’s mishap - too few, and far too grim for his liking. It was well past time he discovered the truth for himself. 

Angela turned absently to face him, her eyes locked on the clipboard in her hand, brows knitted with focus. Her pen scrawled and scratched furiously across its surface; Reinhardt didn’t think he’d ever seen someone write as fast as she did. Then again, he’d never met any doctor quite like her. 

She looked up at last, her expression relaxing, though the lines of concentration, concern remained etched upon her otherwise delicate, youthful face. “He’s… he was wounded, badly, but I think…” she swallowed hard mid-sentence before drawing in a deep breath, as if oxygen had eluded her entirely until that moment. “I think he’s going to be alright.” 

Reinhardt’s heavily plated shoulders sagged in relief. “Can I… can I ask what happened?” 

Angela tsk’d. “You know, normally I wouldn’t be permitted to tell you that,” she said, her tone wry as she set her clipboard down atop the piles of hastily organized documents littering her desk. She appraised Reinhardt’s expression from the corner of her eye, a knowing smile quirking the corners of her lips. Reinhardt’s face broke into a furious flush, his gaze falling quickly, shyly to his iron-clad feet. 

“As I’m sure you’re aware, there have been reports of Talon activity on the southern tip of Spain. We suspect they may be planning an infiltration attempt. Genji was tasked to scout for Talon agents, attempt to locate their base of operations, and report back with any other relevant information he could manage to uncover.“ Angela paused, fingertips tapping nervously against the surface of her desk. “He hasn’t been able to fill us in on the details just yet, but we know that last night, he’d been… intercepted.” 

The shiver that coursed through Dr. Zeigler’s body didn’t escape Reinhardt’s notice as she fell silent. Images of Genji’s mangled body flashed through her mind - blackened in places and peppered with shotgun pellets that had torn through his armor, penetrating the flesh within. Perhaps worst of all were the tell-tale signs his circuitry had been tampered with, wires snipped and crossed in such a manner to cause a steady current of excruciating pain to course through his body. She decided it would be best to keep those details to herself. 

“We recovered him, and not a moment too soon. He’s stable now.” 

Reinhardt nodded, thick fingers absently stroking his beard. He sensed Dr. Zeigler hadn’t told him everything, but with her, he could trust it was for the best. For now. 

“Can I see him?” 

“He’s only been out of surgery for a few hours. It’ll be a while yet until he’s awake…” Angela paused, watching the crestfallen expression cross Reinhardt’s greyed, worry-worn features. “…Though I suppose a _brief_ visit wouldn’t hurt.” 

Reinhardt’s eyes lit up instantly, and he wasted no time falling in line behind Dr. Zeigler, stepping gingerly into the main hallway of the infirmary in an attempt to keep the crashing sound of his footfalls to a minimum. Her pace was brisk, even more so than usual, as if she could somehow usher away the hulking warrior trailing behind her before anyone could take notice. Reinhardt smiled. 

“Alright, here we are,” Angela said, pressing a fingertip against the scanner outside the door to Genji’s room. She tossed a furtive glance over her shoulder before darting inside, beckoning Reinhardt quickly in behind her. 

A creeping nervousness settled over Reinhardt as he scanned the room; all but bare save for the bed against the wall and the veritable jungle of wires, tubes and machines surrounding it. And in the middle of it all laid his lover, unconscious. His eyes darted over Genji’s body, observing the absence of the armor that covered his chest and torso. In its place were bandages, blood-stained in spots, covering large swathes of bare skin. 

Reinhardt’s heart skipped a beat. His eyes had wandered upwards to settle on Genji’s face - his mask, gone. His first instinct was to avert his eyes. He felt wrong somehow, gazing upon Genji’s peaceful, scarred visage, the handsome face he’d kept hidden through all the time they’d spent together, all the intimate moments they shared, the nights they’d spent lost in one another’s arms Genji had never chosen to show him his face. Reinhardt hadn’t even been sure the man _had_ a face - all he’d known was that Genji’s body had been broken; that cyberization had been the only option to preserve his life. 

Tears spilled from Reinhardt’s eyes as he took in the sight of his lover’s face, tranquil beneath the drug-induced spell of sleep. His face was pale and covered in long thin scars; his eyes shut beneath a pair of dark, unruly brows. Reinhardt couldn’t help but be surprised at just how youthful Genji looked, even despite his disfigurement - his button nose, his full, round cheeks, his slightly parted lips that looked so _soft_ … 

“He… he’s never told me what happened,” Reinhardt mumbled under his breath, mesmerized. Angela remained silent for a while, her mind busied as she checked his connections and administered more medication through his IV. 

“I’m not sure I’m the one to tell the tale,” she said, her voice gentle; hushed. 

“I know. I just– his pain… he hides it well, but… I’ve heard him, in his sleep. He cries… and there’s a name, _Hanzo_ …” 

Angela’s eyes traced upwards to meet his gaze, lit by her soft, sad smile. “Yes. I’ve heard it too.” She lifted a hand to Genji’s cheek, gentle fingertips tenderly tracing the lines of his scars. “But he’s strong, Reinhardt. To be frank, I didn’t expect him to live when we found him. None of us did. His injuries were… not compatible with life.” 

Reinhardt nodded as Angela’s fingers went to work once more, slowly peeling back the tape securing the bloodied bandages on Genji’s chest. He watched as wounds, old and new, were revealed, scattered generously across his lover’s chest. Old scars; clearly from a blade, that had stabbed and sliced his flesh, their number obscured beneath a myriad of fresh, sutured wounds. 

“Maybe he does have the spirit of a dragon in there,” mused Reinhardt, recalling fondly the rare times he’d gotten Genji to open up, to share details about his family, his history. He hungered for those moments, desperately desired to be closer to Genji; to shoulder, if only for a while, some of the pain his lover carried in his heart. 

“Perhaps,” said Mercy, smiling as she replaced the bandage with a clean one. 

“Well, patch him up good then, alright?” said Reinhardt, suddenly feeling very out of place. What was he to Genji if he couldn’t protect him from his pain? Just another lover, their connection forged from nothing more than simple attraction? No. They were _more_ than that. Reinhardt had vowed to himself to repair the wounds in Genji’s heart if it was the last thing he’d do. 

"Good night, Reinhardt." 

[To be continued??]


End file.
